The SPDR S&P 500 ETF ( SPY) ended the day down 0.54% to $102.02. Volumes picked up towards the later half of the trading session but were still below the average 271 million. Other popular ETFs, including the PowerShares QQQ ( QQQQ) and SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DIA) were also trading weak on light volumes.

Factory orders declined 1.4% in June, posting the biggest drop in nine months. The news helped push the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ( XLI) down 1.61% to $26.91. But the fund recovered in later trading to end flat.

Financial Select Sector SPDR ( XLF) shed 1.17% to $13.52 on weak data, led by declines in Bank of America ( BAC) and Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-B), two if its top holdings.

Biotech ETFs were in the limelight on an otherwise dull trading day. Stocks of Biogen ( BIIB), Genzyme ( GENZ) and Allergan ( AGN) are up on speculation that they may be possible takeover targets for Sanofi Aventis ( SNY). The SPDR S&P Biotech Fund ( XBI) was among the ETFs that attracted buying interest in morning trading, climbing 1.57% to $51.36. But it ultimately gave up its gains in later trading and ended the trading session up 0.70%.

The PowerShares DB Base Metal fund ( DBB) witnessed early interest gaining over 1 % in the morning session before cooling off later in the day to close up 0.84% at $18.01. The fund has an exposure to industrial metals copper, aluminum and zinc.